A gripping, movie-worthy fight scene is a joy to read but sometimes difficult to write. If you run into trouble when it’s time for your characters to throw down, I have some pointers that may help you get into the proper headspace and articulate what’s going on.

First thing’s first: Location.

Where does the fight take place? Familiarize yourself with the area. Even if you don’t go into painstaking detail in the actual scene, you—the writer—need to know this place inside out, including the area surrounding it.

Get some graph paper and sketch the layout of the location as best you can. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Treat it like you’re trying to describe a rough blueprint of your apartment to someone who’s never been there before. What is this space usually used for? Where is everything? Think about the place from a tactical perspective. Are there any features or objects that someone could take cover behind/under/inside? Is there anything that can be used as an improvised weapon? Are there features that present hazards? (Subway tracks, flights of stairs, a cliff edge…)

I’ve had to pause in writing a scene due to the necessity of more research on what I intend to do. I know it sounds vague but I don’t want to spoil it for you! Let’s just say it has a lot to do with explosions and physics.

In the meantime, here’s some more research I’m doing on map-making. I intend for Hollow Vengeance to have a map in it. I may even release a second edition of Broken Prophecy with a map. It really does add something special to the book! Not sure as to whether I’ll do the book-worthy map myself or have someone else pretty-up my work. We’ll see how good I can get it. I’ll post up progress shots … probably. Hehehehe.

It explains nicely and clearly how to go about creating a map, what considerations to take, and why geography works the way it does to create all those neat little features we have like the Grand Canyon, or the volcanoes of Hawaii.